Shobhaa De: 'I am not a literary terrorist'

Dubai: "My name is Dé and I am not a literary terrorist," says Shobhaa Dé, the Indian socialite-author who has 16 books, including seven novels, to her credit, borrowing a popular line from the Hindi film My Name is Khan.

Unfazed by those who accuse her of being an armchair critic, especially when she hits out against the system in her hometown Mumbai, she says: "It doesn't matter to me how some look at it. I speak up passionately for issues that matter to me."

Dé is just as candid on whether there is a perceived emphasis on sex in her writings. "For the past 15 years, my books have focused on non-fiction. As a writer I am free to choose my subjects. And readers are free to accept/reject the same. It is not necessary to provide reasons for these choices," she says. Dé claims that several universities have her books as course material which are translated in multiple languages across the world. "If there are over 50 doctorates on my work, perhaps the answers are right there," she adds.

She says she has depicted a changing India through her novels and, more recently, through her book Superstar India - from Incredible to Unstoppable. She's just published a novel for tweens Sandhya's Secret and signed a two-book contract with Penguin. She has also finished Simply Sixty, which should be out soon.

No stranger to Dubai, she says she has been visiting the city for 30 years and watched it evolve with interest. "For writers, it is essential to connect with readers and other writers. This is what I hope to do in Dubai. It is a fantastic platform to share ideas and discover fresh talent," Dé adds.